Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus comprising a plurality of decks of playing cards, a plurality of sets of chips which are identified on their faces as to the player to whom they belong, and a game board having a field defining a plurality of playing stations upon which the cards are played. The field has an even-numbered plurality of sequentially-numbered outer stations arranged in the form of a closed loop, plus a central playing station, said outer stations being connected together in groups of three adjoining stations, and said central station being connected by a plurality of radial brackets to each pair of diametrically opposite outer stations. Chips are placed face-down on stations selected by the players, and then face-up cards are played sequentially on the stations by the players. Each card is placed on the lowestnumbered station that is not already covered by a previously played card, and when certain winning two-card or three-card combinations are formed on any one of said connected groups of stations, the player completing the combination picks up the cards of that combination, and is paid one chip for each of his opponents&#39;&#39; chips that were covered by those cards. Free-play bonuses are provided by certain winning combinations, and penalties are provided for errors. The first player who plays his last card upon an open station on the board wins the game.

United States Patent 1 Feldman [451 Nov. 25, 1975 1 1 BOARD GAMEAPPARATUS [76] Inventor: Marshall H. Feldman, P.O. Box 922,

Twenty-nine Palms, Calif. 92227 [22] Filed: July 1, 1974 [21] Appl. No.:484,865

[52] US. Cl. 273/135 AC; 273/130 H [51] Int. Cl. A63F 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch 273/130 R, 130 H, 131 AB,

273/134 AD, 134 C, 135 R, 135 AC, 135 B.

Weeks.... 273/135 B Schohn 273/135 AC Primary ExaminerRichard .1. ApleyAssistant ExaminerJoseph R. Taylor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Herbert E.Kidder 57 ABSTRACT A game apparatus comprising a plurality of decks ofplaying cards, a plurality of sets of chips which are identified ontheir faces as to the player to whom they belong, and a game boardhaving a field defining a plurality of playing stations upon which thecards are played. The field has an even-numbered plurality ofsequentially-numbered outer stations arranged in the form of a closedloop, plus a central playing station, said outer stations beingconnected together in groups of three adjoining stations, and saidcentral station being connected by a plurality of radial brackets toeach pair of diametrically opposite outer stations. Chips are placedface-down on stations selected by the players, and then face-up cardsare played sequentially on the stations by the players. Each card isplaced on the lowest-numbered station that is not already covered by apreviously played card, and when certain winning two-card or three-cardcombinations are formed on any one of said connected groups of stations,the player completing the combination picks up the cards of thatcombination, and is paid one chip for each of his opponents chips thatwere covered by those cards. Free-play bonuses are provided by certainwinning combinations, and penalties are provided for 4 Claims, 4 DrawingFigures U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,921,982

FIG. 1.

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet20f2 3,921,982

FIG. 2.

BOARD GAME APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventionpertains to a board game apparatus, and more particularly to a gameutilizing a plurality of decks of playing cards, a plurality of sets ofchips having indicia on their faces indicating the player to whom theybelong, and a playing field on the board comprising an even-numberedplurality of sequentiallynumbered outer playing stations arranged in theform of a closed loop, plus a central playing station, said outerstations being connected together in groups of three adjoining stations,and said central station being connected by radial brackets to pairs ofdiametrically opposite outer stations, to form other groups of three.

The object of the game is to make wagers by placing chips on certainselected playing stations at the start of the game, and then to play thecards on the stations, seeking to build certain 2-card or 3-card winningcombinations on the interconnected groups of stations. Some of thewinning combinations are analogous to winning poker combinations, whileothers are combi- The present game, which I have named ANOM- 5 ALY canbe played by two, three or four players, and

nations that add up to 15 or 21. Each winning combination allows theplayer to pick up the cards and collect from his opponents whose chipsare covered by the winning combinations. Certain winning combinations-have free-play bonuses, and the first player to play his BRIEFDESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form orarrangement of board or playing field for the game, together with foursets of playing cards and four sets of chips, the lettering on therespective places or areas being clearly represented, and thedistinctive colors being indicated thereon according to the chart fordraftsmen in the Pa tent Office Rules of Practice;

FIG. 2 shows the face and reverse sides of one of the chips used in thegame;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the board, showing threeinterconnected groups of 3 stations covered by three different 3-cardwinning combinations that are analogous to poker winning combinations,the three interconnected stations of each group being shown in heavysolid lines, while the unrelated portions of the playing field are shownin dot-dash lines; and

FIG. 4 is another schematic representation of the board, showing threeinterconnected groups of 3-stations covered by three different Z-card or3-card winning combinations that add up to totals of 15 or 21.

It should be noted here that the three winning combinations shown ineach of FIGS. 3 and 4 are merely illustrative of the way that thecombinations are formed,

and a few representative combinations of cards that constitute winningcombinations. In playing the game, only one winning combination could beformed at a time, as the winning combination of cards is picked upimmediately after it has been formed by the player.

prvoides a delightful and enjoyable entertainment for children andadults. The board is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral10 and is preferably square with'beveled corners, as shown in FIG. 1. Onthe four sides of the board are four individually marked and coloredplayer stations, or positions, 12, l3, l4 and 15, each of which has itsown cards and chips that are colored to match. The players stations andtheir colors are as follows: Station No. 12 is North, and is coloredyellow; Station 13 is East and is colored green; Station 14 is South andis colored red; and Station 15 is West and colored blue. Each stationhas designated placemarks 16, marked Play, upon which the cards to beplayed are placed face-down. Also at each station is another placemark18, marked Take upon which cards that are picked up from the board areplace faceup. On opposite sides of the placemarks 16, 18 are othercircular placemarks 20 and 22, marked P and T, respectively, upon whichthe chips are placed. The chips with which the player starts the gameare placed face-down on placemark 20, while chips that are won from theother players during play are placed face-up on placemark 22.

Each of the players has a full deck of playing card 24, the backs ofwhich are colored with the same colors as the players stations, and alsobear the letters N, E, S, and W, to show they belong to North, East,South and West players, respectively. The cards 24 are conventionalplaying cards, the faces of which are marked with the four playingsuits: Spades, Diamonds, Hearts and Clubs, and numbered from 2 -l0, withJack, Queen, King and Ace. Each of the play ers also has a set of chips26 which, as shown in FIG. 2, have a face 27 on one side and a back 28on the other. The backs 28 of all chips used in the game are the same,while the faces 27 are colored with the same colors used for the fourplayers stations, and in addition are marked N, S, E and W, to aid inidentifying the player to whom they belong.

The game board 10 is provided with a playing field comprising aneven-numbered plurality (preferably eight) outer playing stations 30arranged in a circle or other loop configuration, plus a central playingstation 30. The center station 30 is numbered 1 and the other stations30 are sequentially numbered from 2 to 9, in clockwise order.

The outer stations 30 are connected together in groups of three byarcuate colored bands 32, 34, 36 and 38 which, together, form a circle.Bands 32 are colored red; bands 34 are colored yellow; bands 36 arecolored red; and bands 38 are colored yellow.

The center station 30' is connected to diametrically opposite pairs ofouter stations 30 by colored radial bars 40, 42, 44 and 46. Bars 40 onopposite sides of the center station 30' are both colored green, andthese two bars join outer stations numbered 3 and 7 with the centerstation I to form a group of three. Bars 42 are colored yellow, and joinouter stations numbered 4 and 8 with the center station to form a groupof three. Bars 44 are colored blue and join outer stations numbered 5and 9 with the center station to form a group of three. Bars 46 arecolored red and join outer stations numbered 6 and 2 with the centerstation to form a group of three. Thus, groups of three interconnectedstations are formed around the outer periphery of the playing field ordiametrically across the center of the playing field, and it is uponthese groups of interconnected playing stations that the players attemptto place a winning combination of cards, as will now be described.

Prior to the start of the game, each player is given a deck of cards 24and a set of chips 26 corresponding to his players station 12, l3, 14 or15. The cards 24 are placed face-down on placemark 16, and the chips arestacked on placemark 20. The playing stations 30, 30' are numbered forthe purpose of controlling sequence of play only. All cards must beplayed face-up on the playing station having the lowest number exposed(i.e., having no card lying on top of it). Failure to play ones card onthe lowest-numbered station is an error, and the player making themistake is subject to a penalty, to be described presently.

Winning plays, or tricks, are formed by combining the various values oftwo or three cards which have been played on any three adjoining playingstations, which are interconnected by colored bars 32, 34, 36, 38,40,42, 44 or 46. Each group of three interconnected playing stations iscalled a bracket. Tricks formed by two cards have no free play bonusvalue, but tricks by three cards give the player a free play bonus inaddition to the chips that he wins by making the trick. Any playermaking a 2-card or 3-card trick takes and keeps the two or three cardsinvolved, and is also entitled to the value of any chips that might havebeen uncovered by the play.

There are various values given to the cards, from which tricks can beformed. Any three cards of a single bracket that have the same value orcharacter are known as basic 3-card tricks and havea bonus value of onefree play. The cards have four basic attributes or characteristicfeatures by which four different tricks can be formed. Any combinationof two or three of these into a single 3-card trick, increases its basicbonus value. These tricks are known as single, double or triple tricks,which are good for one, two or three free plays, respectively. The fourvarious types of tricks are as follows: (1) numerical tricks, consistingof 2- or 3-card combinations whose numerical value added together formthe sums of 15 or 21; (2) three cards of the same suit, which is aflush; (3) three cards in numerical sequence, which is a straight; and(4) three cards of the same denomination, which is three-of-a-kind.Thus, it is possible to form a 3-card winning combination which combinesa flush with a straight and the numerical values of which add up to form15 or 21. Such a combination would be entitled to three free plays. Allbonus free plays must be taken at the time of their making.

In figuring numerical tricks, Jacks may be or 11; Queens may be 10 or12; Kings may be 10 or 13; and Ace may be 1 or 1 l. The Ace may also beused to form the high or low end of a 3-card straight.

If the first two cards played in any bracket have the numerical value of15 or 21, the 2-card combination must be taken from the board by theplayer playing the second card. Any player discovering overlooked tricksmay claim them by calling Claim. Before picking up the cards he mustpoint out the cards involved. He is also entitled to the cards, theirfree-play bonus value if any, and the equivalent of each chip uncovered.

The game commences with the player at North numerical values of the twocards amounts to 15 or 21 I he has formed a 2-card numerical trick, andremoves the cards and places them face-up on the placemark area 18designated TAKE. The winning player turns over the chips uncovered bythe cards to note the ownership of such chips, and receives a duplicatechip from each of the respective owners. All of the chips placed on theplaying board are left there, and fines are paid by the players fromtheir stacks of chips on placemarks 20. The player at South next placeshis card upon the vacant No. 1 station 30', and West places his card onNo. 2. If this does not result in the formation of another 2-cardnumerical trick, player North then places his next card on station No.3. If this does not form a trick, East plays his next card on No. 4, andthe players continue in sequence. In each case, the card must be playedon the lowest-numbered station 30', 30 that is uncovered. Uponcompletion of each play and after claiming any winning tricks that he isentitled to, the player relinquishes the board to the next player bydeclaring Pass.

Winning combinations may be formed around the circle, or diametricallyacross, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows a bracket of three cardslabeled A, which comprises the Jack of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, andKing of spades. This combination forms a straight. A second bracket ofthree cards is shown at B which comprises the Queen of Spades, Queen ofDiamonds, and Queen of Clubs, forming three-of-akind. A third group ofthree is enclosed by bracket 1 C, comprising the two of Spades, Queen ofSpades, and six of Spades, forming a flush.

In FIG. 4, a 3-card combination is enclosed by bracket D, forming anumerical trick, the sum of which is 15. In this case, the Queen has thevalue of 12, Ace has the value of 1, and these, together with the 2,total 15. Bracket E encloses a 2-card numerical trick totaling 15.Bracket F" encloses a 3-card numerical trick totaling 21, in which Jackhas the value of 1 l, and Ace has the value of 1, which, combined withthe 9, total 21. Other 2-card combination mumerical tricks totaling 21might be: (IO+.I=2I (.I+.I=2l);

' (K+8=21,); etc. etc. Other 3-card numerical tricks totaling 21 mightinclude: (9+7+5=21) (K+6+2=2l) (4+7+10=21) etc. etc. 2-card combinationstotaling 15 might include: (J+4=15) (J+5=15) 9+6=l5) etc. etc. Other3-card tricks totaling 15 might include (9+5+A=15)(2+2+.I=15) (8+6+A=l5)etc. etc.

Any player who catches another player in an error calls out ZAP, andthis entitles him to certain penalty payments by the player making theerror. The errors for which a player can be Zapped are: (1) playing outof turn; (2) playing a card on the wrong station number; (3) declaringPass when there is an overlooked winning trick on the board completed bythe card he has just played; and (4) falsely accusing another of anerror. The penalties for these errors are as follows: Any player whoplays out of turn must take back his card and give the other players twochips apiece; He also forfeits his present turn at play. Any player whofalsely accuses another of a mistake is penalized 5 chips, which aregiven to the accused. The accuser also loses his next turn at play. Anyplayer who fails to play his card on the lowest-numbered station thathas no card upon it, must take back his card and pay each of the otherplayers one chip each. He also loses his present turn. Any player whodeclares Pass when there is a winning trick on the board must pay hisaccuser 5 chips and loses his turn. Failure to claim the maximum-valuewinning trick (if more than one appear) is a major error, with a S-chippenalty.

No player may take his turn at play without having sufficient chips tocover any losses may have in the game. He can segregate them from hiswinnings, if any, or buy them back from the players holding them. Hecan, however, by declaring No Chips, proceed to play for cards only, andloses his chips on the board to the next player whouncovers them.Various other penalties may be given and explained in a book ofinstructions, or still others may be decided upon by the players,provided that the penalties are stated and agreed to at the start of thegame.

It is possible for all of the playing stations 30, 30 to have cards uponthem that do not form a winning trick. When this occurs, it is termed ablock and the player placing his card on the last open station 30 ispermitted to play another card on top of any one of the cards already onthe board. This card becomes a wild card and can be used with any cardother than the one on station 30' (i.e., the station numbered l,) toform a 2-card numerical trick. The player doing this is entitled to thecards and the value of any chips that are uncovered.

The game ends when one of the players plays his last card on an openstation, or which forms a trick. The winner receives all of the cardsand chips that remain on the playing field.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believeto be the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made in the shape andarrangement of the several parts thereof without departing from thebroad scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What 1 claim is:

1. A game to be played by two to four players, comprising, incombination:

a game having a playing field comprising an evennumbered plurality ofsequentially-numbered outer playing stations spaced apart from oneanother and arranged in the form of a closed loop, plus a centralplaying station;

a plurality of pairs of peripheral colored bars connecting said outerplaying stations together in groups of three adjoining stations, eachgroup of three being connected by two bars of the same distinctivecolor, and the pairs of connecting bars joining other groups of threebeing of different distinctive colors;

another plurality of pairs of radial colored bars connecting saidcentral playing station to pairs of diametrically opposite outer playingstations, each pair of radially extending bars on opposite sides of saidcentral playing station having distinctive colors different from thecolors of the other pairs of radial bars;

a set of chips for each player, each chip having indicia on one faceonly to identify the player to whom it belongs, said chips being placedface-down on selected stations by the players at the start of the game,so that the ownership of the chipis concealed; and

a plurality of decks of playing cards, one deck for each player, saidcards being played successively by the players on said playing stationsto build a 2- card or a 3-card winning combination on two or threeadjoining playing stations that are interconnected by peripheral orradial bars of the same color.

2. A game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said board has a plurality ofplayer locations around its outer edges, each player location having afirst place mark upon which the players deck of unplayed cards is placedface down, and a second place mark upon which played cards are placedface up.

3. A game apparatus as in claim 2, wherein a third place mark isprovided at each player location to receive the players own chips, and afourth place mark is provided to receive the chips won by the player.

4. A game apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said first second, third andfourth place marks are all distinctively colored with the same color,and the backs of the playing cards and the face of the chips for thatplayer location are correspondingly colored.

1. A game to be played by two to four players, comprising, incombination: a game having a playing field comprising an even-numberedplurality of sequentially-numbered outer playing stations spaced apartfrom one another and arranged in the form of a closed loop, plus acentral playing station; a plurality of pairs of peripheral colored barsconnecting said outer playing stations together in groups of threeadjoining stations, each group of three being connected by two bars ofthe same distinctive color, and the pairs of connecting bars joiningother groups of three being of different distinctive colors; anotherplurality of pairs of radial colored bars connecting said centralplaying station to pairs of diametrically opposite outer playingstations, each pair of radially extending bars on opposite sides of saidcentral playing station having distinctive colors different from thecolors of the other pairs of radial bars; a set of chips for eachplayer, each chip having indicia on one face only to identify the playerto whom it belongs, said chips being placed face-down on selectedstations by the players at the start of the game, so that the ownershipof the chip is concealed; and a plurality of decks of playing cards, onedeck for each player, said cards being played successively by theplayers on said playing stations to build a 2-card or a 3-card winningcombination on two or three adjoining playing stations that areinterconnected by peripheral or radial bars of the same color.
 2. A gameapparatus as in claim 1, wherein said board has a plurality of playerlocations around its outer edges, each player location having a firstplace mark upon which the player''s deck of unplayed cards is placedface down, and a second place mark upon which played cards are placedface up.
 3. A game apparatus as in claim 2, wherein a third place markis provided at each player location to receive the player''s own chips,and a fourth place mark is provided to receive the chips won by theplayer.
 4. A game apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said first second,third and fourth place marks are all distinctively colored with the samecolor, and the backs of the playing cards and the face of the chips forthat player location are correspondingly colored.